Description

A major goal in any game is to create the illusion of reality, a fact that is especially true for first-person shooters. The result is Half-Life, the closest thing to a revolutionary step the genre has ever taken. Through a series of subtle and artistic design decisions, Half-Life creates a reality that is self-contained, believable, and thoroughly engaging. You are Gordon Freeman, scientist at the Black Mesa Research Facility, involved in some mysterious experiments. These experiments go awry, and foul creatures begin taking over the complex. It gets more complicated, but there's no need to ruin the surprises that awaits. Suffice it to say that Half-Life isn't a great game because of its story; it's a great game because of how it presents that story. From the opening moments of the game to the final showdown there is never a moment where you are not seeing things through Freeman's eyes. The graphics here are simply amazing, for 3D accelerated machines and at what may be a surprise, for the non-accelerated too. Kudos to Sierra and Valve studios for developing a game that supports the older PCs. Not to be out-shined, the sound is equally astounding, stereo surround effects and realistic weapon sounds making a complete immersion environment for the player into the game. Weapon, ammunition, and health placement follows the same suit, You'll hardly ever come across an item that is just bobbing and spinning in place here and there. The gameplay is very puzzle-oriented, but the puzzles hardly seem to be superficial obstacles. Whether you're repairing a reactor or finding some way to dispose of a massive locked door, the puzzles always seem plausible in the world Valve has created. While many a game's idea of excellent AI is simply monsters that can make it through a doorway to follow you, Half-Life's act accordingly. They won't follow you through a doorway, they'll lob a few grenades to where you're hiding and be done with it. Half-Life is an exceptional singleplayer game and a solid multiplayer game. Connect to other half Life players through the automated Internet gaming options in no time. Half Life is a must keep game for first person shooter fans, and a good example of the things gaming should be bringing to the gamers in the years to come, an immersive environment. (EL) System Requirements: - Pentium 133MHz - Memory 24Mb RAM - SVGA High color (16-bit) graphics card - Double Speed CDROM - 400Mb HD space - Windows compatible soundcard - Keyboard, Mouse (Sierra Studios: Half Life)